Orpheus
Orpheus • 1h 35m
Directed by Jean Cocteau • 1950 • France
Starring Jean Marais, Marie Déa, Maria Casarès
Jean Cocteau’s update of the Orpheus myth depicts a famous poet (Jean Marais), scorned by the Left Bank youth, and his love for both his wife, Eurydice (Marie Déa), and a mysterious princess (Maria Casarès). Seeking inspiration, the poet follows the princess from the world of the living to the land of the dead, through Cocteau’s famous mirrored portal. ORPHEUS’s peerless visual poetry and dreamlike storytelling represent the legendary Cocteau at the height of his powers.
Up Next in Orpheus
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Adam Gopnik on ORPHEUS
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ORPHEUS Commentary
This audio commentary, recorded in London in May 2011, features writer and professor James S. Williams.
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La villa Santo-Sospir
Directed by Jean Cocteau • 1951 • France
This 37-minute film was made by Jean Cocteau in 1951, on 16 mm Kodachrome. It features a tour of his decorative art at the villa Santo-Sospir and of his home in Villefranche-sur-Mer.
